Wrong number

Friday evenings are supposed to be happy nights here in the middle east. Its the beginning of a weekend. But this was not. I received an unsettling call just after taking a bath. It was by “imo,” the widely used calls application due to its clarity and cheapness. I did not recognize the caller, he had just added my number, but I answered anyway.

“Are you Mchox?” the male voice asked. “Yes I am.” I answered. Who am I speaking to? I asked. He replied “Rajab, Mwanasiti's husband.” I knew few Mwanasitis in my circle. And I definitely knew who he was talking about. I immediately understood it was not a friendly weekend call. My heart started beating faster.

Mwanasiti was a friend. She used to work here in the Gulf too. We met in a web-page group of Kenyans working abroad. After private chatting for sometime We realized we were both from Mombasa though we haven't met. She was from Likoni side while I from Ratna-square. Chances were slim that we had met before. We did not cross lines in our conversations. Just usual chats about being far from home and development plans so that we don't find ourselves trapped in foreign land for decades.

She finished her contract and returned back home. After some few weeks of silence, she returned back online a sad person. She explained to me how she used to send her salary back home to her husband to finish the house they had decided to build. She found the house two stone layers above the foundation. The husband used the money to chew Ghat/miraa everyday and weekend parties. He wasn't taking good care of their two young girls too. She was so disappointed and heartbroken considering what she went through working for Arabs.

I consoled her. Reminded her chances do not necessary knock on our door once in lifetime. There's still hope that she would get another means to uplift their life to better. So, we would chat and sometimes talk using imo. I felt pity and sometimes sent her some money through Mpesa. His husband was jobless and sometimes the girls go to sleep without having dinner.

So, today her husband decided to give me a call. He asked me what is the relationship between me and his wife? I said we are just friends. I told him we haven't even met in real life. We see each other through Facebook and other internet apps. The he asked “ how can I believe that?” I remained silent. I didn't know how to explain it to him. It was his wife, he knows her better. So if it is to trust her or not, its up to him. At my silence, he started to be more volatile. He asked me if I had a wife and if it was my habit to seduce other people's wives? I defended myself telling him that I had never seduced his wife. He should check his wife's messages and another proof is that she is still with him, not me.

A husband threatened usually does not reason optimally. He continued accusing me of setting up fire on their marriage. He said he had my picture, and if he ever sees me roaming the streets of Likoni, he will punish me severely before driving a knife to my stomach. I tried to explain to him the state of things, hoping he would realize he was wrong but he kept spewing venom profusely.

We meet different kinds of people on social media. Some are below age, and some are married. Some lie about their relationship status and some are truthful and straightforward. We befriend them, sometimes give a helping hand to con-men and con-women. Those who are in committed relationships know their status before flirting with the singles. But its okay since most mean no harm and its kept secret from their partners. Problems arise when their partners peruses your tracks and you give him or her something to doubt you on. You wonder whose responsible for the fracas? The singles roaming the net looking for fun or the committed who consciously take the step to engage another person in a questionable manner? We, the defensive singles always say we have done nothing wrong. And explain it with reason. But in the eyes of society and moral ears, we find ourselves rebuked. Another person's love is a no go zone. There are a billion other singles on Earth, ogle those.

“Mchox, you claim innocence and sound decent on the phone. Why is it that a week does not pass until you talk to my wife? Why have you sent my wife 10k? That's not little amount. What did she promise you in return, nude video chatting? You see, I have proof enough to suspect your ill intentions? He continued. I insisted there was nothing evil in the conversations I've had with Mwanasiti. As for the 10k, I thought better to help her start a small business instead of sending her money now and then when she comes crying for help.

All that time, I had replied to him with utmost respect and consideration. I didn't want to say anything to give him a reason to blame it on me on what happens to their marriage. But as the call grew longer, he grew more harsh and disrespectful. At one time he called me a cockroach which he could easily kill by stepping on me. I had changed the phone from my left ear to right, then left again. Streams of sweat trickled down as if im not the one who recently came out from the bathroom. And he continued insulting me. And at last he told me he is going to beat Mwanasiti tonight and she wont be able to sleep at all.

I wondered why he told me that because Mwanasiti does not belong to me. But I had had enough from him. I knew he was jobless and lazy but I did not say anything to him. I knew he squandered his wife's money and he is the reason why they are living miserably, but I remained silent. So, I cut short his abuses and told him, Listen: If you are tired with Mwanasiti, don't find an excuse from me. I know you mistreat her because she will find it hard to leave the marriage because of the children. But I tell you, if you leave her, Mwanasiti will not suffer. I promise you, if you divorce her tonight, tomorrow night I will send my people to her home and I will marry her in absentia. If you think I'm calling a bluff, divorce her and watch the drama tomorrow!

I hung up and blocked his number permanently on my phone. After three days Mwanasiti called. She told me that all his husband's anger was because he did not get his hand on the money. He saw the 10k Mpesa I sent but she had already withdrawn the money and bought materials for her cooking business. He wanted it to buy Ghat/miraa and cigarettes and spend it having fun. She also told me that he did beat her that night, but he did not leave her. They are still together.